


Kings of the Lab

by DoubleBubbleTrouble



Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Karaoke, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-19 04:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14229321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoubleBubbleTrouble/pseuds/DoubleBubbleTrouble
Summary: A collection of (usually short) Soulmate AUs featuring the Kings of the Lab and their various meetings through soul-marks.~"You know, this was the stupidest question to have on my arm?"





	1. Karaoke

"Planning to sing?"  
The words had been on his arm since he was four. When he turned 10, his mother decided that singing lessons were a must. 

Zack Addy was unsure when he would ever be asked this question except for in a play. In high school, he tried out for a role in the school's production of Cinderella. He was casted as Gus-Gus, the singing mouse. He had a wonderful voice, but not the "appearance needed for the Prince, you understand, don't you dear?" 

He sang for his mother's church choir when he turned 14. 

He didn't really believe in the idea of soulmates, but the idea of someone who was made for him was captivating. Someone who had to be nice to him. 

So he sang. Sang every Sunday, at holidays and at any other event he could.

He knew, statistically, that the average age to meet your soulmate was 32 but he couldn't waste these opportunities. 

When he went to school a year later, he threw himself into his anthropological studies. That's not to say he didn't keep an ear out for those special words. 

Several years later at the prime age of 22, he realized that he had ten years until he would most likely meet his soulmate. He decided just to wait it out.

It didn't take too long. One of his colleagues was celebrating her birthday and dragged him and some others to her favorite bar.

It was large and oddly cozy, he concluded, which seemed to be the appeal. The warm look of wood seemed to draw people in, especially for a Tuesday night. He didn't go out much, but even he thought this crowd to be unusual. 

A handsome gentleman got up on the makeshift stage. He set up the microphone and speakers quickly before announcing that it was karaoke night.

After a few songs, the birthday girl claimed that it was his turn to buy the next round, since he was new here. When he inquired as to "a round of what?" The group laughed and pushed him toward the bar.

He stood next to a curly haired man for a minute. Zack pursed his lips nervously and glanced over, wondering if he should ask what 'a round' was. 

The man glanced at a nervous looking Zack.

Zack assumed eye contact meant it was OK to ask the man something.

The man jerked his head towards the stage, opening his mouth to speak.

Both of them spoke at the same time.  
"Do you know what 'the next round' I'm supposed to buy is?"  
"Planning to sing?"

Both of their brains seemed to connect the puzzle pieces at the same time.

"You know, this was the stupidest question to have on my arm?"

"...but what does it mean?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April 6th, 2018  
> Short, as stated previously. I just think that this fandom needs more Soulmate AUs, so I thought I would give it a try.  
> ~  
> In case you couldn't tell, the curly haired man was Hodgins, of course.  
> ~  
> Hope you liked it, if not, yell at me in the comments.


	2. Anger Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hodgins has anger issues.

 

 

Jack was almost eleven when the words appeared on his wrist. Relief instantly filled him when he finally noticed it.

Worry and fear had followed him for weeks. Both of his parents have soul-marks, and even his Uncle Preston has one. But he knew it wasn’t unheard of to not receive one. He knew this from the tv, not his parents who pestered him with constant reassurance anytime he expressed his worry.

The relief was short lived, however, when he finally made out the words.

Worry and fear crept back into him.

" _Please don't hurt me._ "

What had he done to cause these words? What _would_ he do?

He didn't show his parents or anyone. He started wearing long sleeve shirts, despite the warm weather. He was afraid to be seen as a monster. To become one.

He slowly became more and more mad at himself for ever making his soulmate afraid of him.

His mother noticed, and after finding out why, bought him a very expensive green wrist cuff to cover it. It wasn’t uncommon for anyone, let alone an heir to a rich family, to cover their soul-mark for protection against con artists. However, Hodgins projected his own emotions onto her and saw it as his mother being ashamed of his mark rather than as a protection that was required anyway.

He never really took it off.

 

~~~~~~

 

Zach Addy was four years old when the words first appeared on his wrist. Even with his advanced intelligence, he struggled to understand the writing on his own.

His older sister read it to him with a slight frown on her face.

" _Jesus, would you watch where you're going?!_ "

His mother took him to church every Sunday, where there was often a passage about soul-marks being the Lord's guidance. However, he couldn’t fully grasp what these words meant and what they were yet.

What he did understand was that these were angry, inappropriate words that would be directed at him. And this worried him.

And it worried his mother, who, the Lutheran woman that she was, took taking the Lord’s name is vain very seriously.

 

~~~~~~ 

 

Zach Addy had taken his place as Doctor Brennan's undergrad student recently. He was rushing to the bone room with a 1200 AD man's femur. Doctor Brennan had implied that cause of death could be found on it if he looked closely enough, but he was on a time restraint.

He rounded to corner, tray in hand. He ran straight into another man in a Jeffersonian lab coat.

The words spilled from the other man's mouth, flinging out like lava from a volcano, "Jesus, would you watch where you're going?"

He clenched his fist before snapping a rubber band on his wrist. His eyes widened, and with his curly hair extending from his head, he had a mad scientist look to him.

Without registering the words, or their meaning, Zach's mouth pinched inwards as he meekly said, "Please don't hurt me."

Both men stopped as the words sunk in.

Hodgins reacted first, turning on his heal and heading in the other direction.

Zach, not sure what the protocol was for when your newly found soulmate flees, continued to the bone room. He was, after all, still on a time restraint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April 6th, 2018  
> Short, as stated previously. I just think that this fandom needs more Soulmate AUs, so I thought I would give it a try.  
> ~  
> Hope you liked it, if not, yell at me in the comments.


	3. The Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And suddenly he felt the hope of having a soulmate, of beating the statistics, spring to life in his chest once again."  
> ~  
> In which Hodgins waits and Zack socializes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for making this chapter so much longer in contrast to the others. It really got out of hand.  
> Enjoy~

 

**Zack's POV**

 

His mother had tried to help him engage with other children by putting into singing lessons. She had hoped that it would teach him the social skills he needed.

Unfortunately, the only skills he learned were the vocal ones that allowed him to join his mother’s church choir as he grew older. Despite his mother’s best efforts, Zack was socially inept. He found himself unable to see social ques the way others did. He was also unable to make the best split-second decision needed to continue each interaction naturally.

He didn’t particularly mind his lack of ease when it came to interacting with others. While he would list ‘interacting with others” as his main weakness when asked, he didn’t particularly consider what he was doing “wrong” because it didn’t bother him. However, he wished it wouldn’t bother his mother so much. He did well enough by himself.

But even he could admit to himself that he sometimes wished he knew what to say to make the other children be nice to him. They were, after all, rather unruly to begin with and knowing the right phrases could be rather useful.

He was kept occupied by his studies, and he was always surrounded by his siblings. He was never truly alone, but he didn’t realize he could be considered lonely until his soul-mark appeared.

Of course, he had known in broad terms what it was and the purpose it served. He had been 10-going-on-11 when it happened. He had considered himself, naïvely, to be almost a teenager. He had hoped that he was old enough for the soulmate business to have been passed him. He had thought it would only serve as a distraction to his studies and eventually his career.

Unfortunately for that mindset, the mark appeared bearing the words, “ _Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been looking for you?_ ”

Realizing that he had someone out there, destined by God, according to his mother, who would come to love him and who was perfect for him, shattered his predetermine ideals about not wanting a soulmate. It shed light on the buried feelings of loneliness that would have otherwise stayed hidden.

He found himself excited for the future and even to “show off” his mark to every one of his family members. He couldn’t bring himself not to, despite the common idea that it was meant to be private. These words proved that someone cared enough to look, maybe even at that exact moment.

While he was slightly off about the timing, he was correct that his soulmate would be looking with every resource that they could.

Along with his already advanced studies, Zack Addy suddenly felt the urge to also look into soulmates.

~~~~~~

As the years passed, Zack pushed himself “out of his comfort zone” as one book he had read said. He had been working to develop his social skills after he read in a book on soulmates that “in order to grow together, you have to first help yourself grow into the best you can be for your soulmate.” He tried to insert some of the techniques he had learned into everyday life, but it did not always work out the way he imagined.

After taking his position as Doctor Brennan’s assistant while working on his two doctorates, he tried to connect with her. He thought it would be best if he tried first with someone who was closer to his intellectual level before trying with someone who would not communicate the way he did. However, when he tried the techniques on Doctor Brennan, they did not go well.

She reeled back from his touch and looked him over. “What are you doing, Zack?”

When he explained what he was attempting, she suggested that he continue being himself, after all, his soulmate was made for him, not who he was pretending to be.

It was a comforting thought, and he agreed with her. He thanked her for her input and she nodded, telling him not to test them on her again.

After she walked away, Angela, who he had met before, approached him carefully as if he were an easily spooked cat. He peered curiously at her.

“Hey, Zack,” she began. “I heard what you told Brennan…”

“That would make sense,” he agreed, nodding. “You were at the base of the platform, where you could have easily overheard our words.”

Angela grimaced in apology. “I think it’s sweet what you are trying to do. Better yourself, I mean. Despite what Brennan said, it’s a nice gesture, but she was right that you shouldn’t change yourself for someone else. My point is, if you want to work on practicing communication or anything, I’m pretty easy to talk to, and you know where my office is.”

He assumed she was offering aid in his search of knowledge regarding social intelligence. “Thank you, Angela. I will.”

She smiled, before leaving to go back to her office.

~~~~~~

He started visiting her during his lunch breaks, and she would take hers at the same time. He found it easy to talk to her, she was, after all, used to Doctor Brennan’s behavior. She never expected anything from him and could carry the conversation when he found himself struggling.

After two weeks of this pattern, Zack was working with the assumption that they had become friends by now. He now believed that his original hypothesis of starting with someone on his intellectual level would be easier. Angela’s emotional intelligence had been very beneficial in his progress.

Normally, Zack would just make macaroni and cheese and eat it in Angela’s office, but today they had decided to get something from the cafeteria. As they were about to leave, he caught the title of a book out of the corner of his eye.

It was a book on soulmates that he himself had read.

He decided to ask, “Do you have an interest in soulmates, Angela?”

She hesitated, “Yeah, mine is a bit unusual. I like reading on the different “rules” or variations in soul-marks. Makes me feel better.”

The corners of Zack’s mouth pinched inward as they walked quietly down the corridor. Finally, he asked, “Unusual, how?”

“Just different,” she said. “What about yours? Care to share?”

Zack’s excessive pride about his had worn off over the years as he matured, but he didn’t mind showing Angela. He paused, and she paused beside him. They were alone, anyway.

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing “ _Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been looking for you?_ ”

She smiled at him, “You seem pretty lucky, Zack. Sounds like someone is excited to meet you.”

Pausing only momentarily, she rolled up her own sleeve. Her soul-mark was not a sentence, but a piece of art. He didn’t consider himself well versed in art, but even he could tell it was beautiful.

“It’s beautiful.”

She smiled back blindingly in agreeance before she kept walking.

~~~~~~

They bounced ideas back and forth about soulmates until they reached the cafeteria. Angela was surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject and offered insights and answering questions where she could.

Their conversation halted when Angela hurried towards the rail ahead when she saw a coworker, waving her hand high above her head, calling out his name.

Her coworker offered a smaller wave in return and holding a sandwich in the other.

As they walked down the stairs, Zack’s brain sparked a new idea on their previous subject.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to find my soulmate if we were given a very specific way to find them, like their social security number? Or even a very specific first sentence?” He paused, pouting slightly. “Furthermore, wouldn't it be easier for them to find me if my first words to my soulmate were: "Hello, My name is Zack Addy, meet me at the Jeffersonian Institute at precisely…”” he paused, glancing down at his watch. ““12:37 PM on April 7th, two thousand and-““

He was cut off by Angela waving her hand through the air, saying “Yeah, but I read this book where they said if the details were too specific on the name, social security number or any other wild information people tried to give away to find their soulmates sooner, then the word would just be blurred out. Like preventing a paradox or something, I guess.”

“Hmm,” Zack murmured to himself. “That is very unfortunate.”

~~~~~~

 

 

  **Hodgins's POV**

 

 

Jack’s whole life had revolved around two fundamental areas of interest: bugs and soulmates.

The former developed when Jack was young. Jack’s interest had stemmed because he thought they were ‘cool,’ but had stayed when he grew to realize how telling and interesting bugs could actually be.

The latter had also begun when he was a small child but did not persist like the other. No, this interest had to redevelop, and it came along with his soul-mark, which finally appeared just after he turned 17.

After Jack had turned 12, his family had deemed it unlikely that he would have a soulmate in this life. Most people received theirs as very young children or at the latest, by their early teens. He, however, did not want to believe that he wouldn’t have a soulmate, or at least a mark, like the rest of his family did. It was statistically unlikely that he would receive one at this age, but he wanted to believe that soulmates would beat the statistics. He continued waiting eagerly for a mark to appear on his wrist until several months after his 14th birthday. It was then that he realized that waiting would not bear fruit from a tree that never even sprouted from its seed.

By the time he had turned 16, he had started to completely ignore any ideas pertaining to soulmates and soul-marks. He was a little angrier for the loss of hope, but he threw himself into his schoolwork.

He had stretched himself in school and did well in all his classes. He was particularly interested in the science courses, which allowed him to consider going to a top university to study his main interest: bugs. At this point, in the beginning of his senior year in high school, studying entomology was appealing, but he considered it a flight of fancy. There was no way his parents would ever approve.

But the idea was still bouncing around in his head.

He was sitting around pondering such ideas when he absent mindedly glanced down at his wrist.

He squinted at what looked like ink under the edge of his sleeve. He tugged it up slightly with his other hand and-

He froze.

He tugged the sleeve back down faster than he thought humanly possible. He blinked, and then blinked again. His mind started racing, because it couldn't be what he thought. It was too late, he didn't have a soulmate.

He gingerly pulled the sleeve all the way up past his elbow.

" _Furthermore, wouldn't it be easier for them to find me if my first words to my soulmate were: "Hello, My name is Zack ~~~~, meet me at the Jeffersonian Institute at precisely 12:37 PM on April 7th, two thousand and-"_ “

And suddenly he felt the hope of having a soulmate, of beating the statistics, spring to life in his chest once again.

And he felt excited, the gears in his head started spinning, it would be so easy to find his soulmate with the information provided!

~~~~~~ 

He was wrong. Ten years had passed, and at the age of 27, he had yet to find his soulmate.

He had hoped that knowing his soulmate’s first name would make it easier to track him down, but there were far too many Zack’s in the United States alone to sort through, let alone variations of the name or including Zack’s from other nations in the world. It was extremely unfortunate that the last name had blurred, preventing him from finding his soulmate before the day it was said.

He had hoped that knowing the location would allow him to, well, locate his soulmate, but it was once again a fruitless endeavor. There were nearly 7,000 employees at the Jeffersonian Institute. This is not including the almost 800 Research Fellows or the 6,900 on-site volunteers. How was he to know which could be _his_ Zack, or even if Zack worked there? For all he knew, Zack could just be one of many, many visitors that could appear each April.

He had hoped that knowing the date would help, but as he was accustomed, it did not help any. Many April 7ths had passed. _Maybe it would have been easier_ , he had thought many times, _if I knew which year it was instead of waiting through each. Or even if I didn’t know the date at all…_

Even the multiple private investigators Jack had tried to hire were unable to find any leads without a personal connection or specific details.

The mark did, however, encourage him to study entomology, mineralogy, and botany. They had always interested him, and his soul-mark made for an excellent excuse that prevented his family from fighting him further. It made for a good distraction from the waiting, doing something he loved.

And he did, love it. It consumed his days and he enjoyed it. It was in his place of work, as he expected, that he finally met his soulmate.

~~~~~~

Hodgins glanced down at his wrist watch which read 12:02 PM, April 7th, 2005. This could be the day, and as always, the thought made his stomach turn in anticipation.

He had taking his lunch break two minutes ago, as he did annually. Normally, he would eat lunch later or just work through it entirely, but once a year, he took he his lunch break at exactly noon.

He couldn’t eat feeling like this, so he decided to wander through the busier halls. He glanced with suspicion at each unrecognizable male, waiting to hear the predetermined words.

By 12:30, he had placed himself in a busier communal area, waiting to, what he assumed based on his mark, eavesdrop on another groups conversation.

His watch turned to 12:35, and an anxious ball turned in his stomach. He felt like today could be the day, he felt so close.

12:37 appeared on his watch, and he still did not hear the words he had expected. 12:38 came and passed. He stayed, waiting. He wondered if it was possible that his soulmates watch had been off by a few minutes.

By 12:45, he gathered up his disappointed self and walked back to his workplace as his break came to an end.

April 7th once again passed without excitement except that which Hodgins found at the bottom of a bottle that night.

~~~~~~

The 8th was always rough for Hodgins after he received his soul-mark. Skipping breakfast due to an ache in his stomach, he washed himself up and prepared for work.

He was going through the motions, and couldn’t keep his mind off the topic of soulmates. His soul-mark had appeared late, later than statistically likely. He supposed that he had expected them to beat the statistic by meeting earlier than the average age of 32. But maybe it was his turn to be on the average end of things. 32 was only 5 more years, and he wasn’t going to give up on his soulmate the same way he had as a child. He could be patient.

His mind wandered again, this time considering the possibility that he might have to wait until he is 50, or 70 or on his death bed. Or worse, what if he never even met his soulmate? It wasn’t unheard of, although most people who had a mark were destined to meet before they died. _But what if…?_

_No,_ Hodgins shook his head. He knew he could be a misanthrope in the days after a failed attempt but doubting his soul-mark was too far.

As the day progressed, he regretted not eating something for breakfast. He was slightly hung over and grouchy, but the pain in his stomach from a lack of food was something he could fix.

He decided to take a lunch break today and go down to the cafeteria. He made a sub, got a soda and paid. After sitting, he almost devoured his sub and had a big bite in his mouth when he heard someone call his name from above.

He looked up to see Angela, the friendly artist who was developing a tech program. He almost considered asking her to search the employee records to see if she could point out any Zack’s that showed up, but he didn’t think he knew her well enough. She was leaning over the railing and gave a small wave. He lifted his hand to give a three finger wave back since his mouth was full.

He chewed and watched as Angela made her way across the walkway and down the stairs. He noticed that a younger man was following beside her, almost behind her, talking with her. He couldn’t make out what either were saying and only watched as they approached.

The younger man’s mouth turned into a slight pout as they continued closer. Hodgins could almost make out the young man said as he continued, “Furthermore, wouldn't it be easier for them to find me if my first words to my soulmate were: "Hello, My name is Zack Addy, meet me at the Jeffersonian Institute at precisely…”” he paused, glancing down at his watch. Hodgins brained snapped to alertness.  ““12:37 PM on April 7th, two thousand and-““

He was cut off by Angela waving her hand through the air, saying “Yeah, but I read this book where they said if the details were too specific on the name, social security number or any other wild information people tried to give away to find their soulmates sooner, then the word would just be blurred out. Like preventing a paradox or something, I guess.”

“Hmm,” Zack murmured to himself. “That is _very_ unfortunate.”

Hodgins had just stared at the pair while they wrapped up their conversation beside his table. Specifically, he stared at Zack Addy in bewilderment. After all this time, he had finally met his soulmate. He was almost speechless, his mind racing in confusion.

Angela noticed his staring and mistook it as waiting for an introduction, “Oh! Sorry, yeah, Hodgins, this is Zack, Brennan’s new grad student? Zack, this is our resident entomologist, he has the tendency to scare people, but he’s really a good guy.”

Hodgins realized this was his moment to speak up. He wondered what was on Zack’s wrist, what he was destined to say. He hoped he wouldn’t say something stupid.

The words were slipping from his mouth in amazement, “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been looking for you?”

Zack’s facial expression didn’t change as he processed the meaning behind the words, until finally his eyebrows pulled together.

Jack paused, questions forming in his brain.

“You messed up the date on my soul-mark. I’ve been waiting for April 7th for ten years, but today is the 8th.”

Zack’s brain focused in again, disputing “It is almost definitely the 7th unless you are using a time zone like Hong Kong’s where it has just become the 8th forty-two minutes ago.”

Hodgins was riled, he thought he would know the date that he had been looking forward to for a decade now. “No,” he argued back. He even glanced at his digital watch where it clearly said, as he repeated aloud, “It is 11:42 PM, April 8th, Eastern Standard Time.”

Angela reentered the conversation, wincing, “Sorry, Hodgins. He’s right.”

She even tilted her phone toward him, where he could read the date: 4/7/18, 11:43.

Frustrated with himself, he hit his fist lightly against his forehead, “How could I mess up the date on the day I’ve been waiting for for _years_?”

Zack, who also had been eagerly waiting, tried to awkwardly comfort his new soulmate. He had read in a book that others often found it comforting when another showed their support by resting their hand gently on above the elbow but below the shoulder.

“I have also been waiting for this day for a very long time, Hodgins,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Hodgins chuckled, “Yeah, me too, Zack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so anxious about taking four days already to write and edit this, that I only edited grammar-wise and not character analysis/development wise. I hope they seem in character, but if you notice something specific, or it is all too OOC, let me know, PLEASE.  
> If you were curious, this chapter is Approx. 3400 words.  
> ~  
> If you want to see the more paranoid aspects of Hodgins and soul-marks, stay tuned for the next chapter, which should be up much sooner than this one was.  
> ~  
> I just think that this fandom needs more Soulmate AUs, so I thought I would give it a try.  
> ~  
> Hope you liked it, if not, yell at me in the comments.


End file.
